Tiger
by Leslie Norris
The Poem :
"He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of this cage,
On pads of velvet quite,
In his quiet rage.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass,
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle's edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorizing the village!
But he's locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes,
At the brilliant stars."
Summary of the Poem :
A caged tiger is stiffly walking with uncontrollable anger within the few steps of the cage he is in. His walking is silent as his paws are made of soft muscles like velvets.
In the next two paras the poet says that the tiger should be hiding and sliding through the long grasses near the water streams where the stout deer pass. He should be growling around the houses at the jungle's edge. He should be roaming around terrorizing the villagers by showing his white teeth and claws.
In the last two stanzas, the poet shows that the unfortunate tiger is confined in the cage instead of being in the jungle. He is locked in the concrete cell where his strength is helplessly behind the bars. He is merely walking the length of the cage ignoring the visitors. The sound of the patrolling cars is the last voice he hears at night. Then on he stays alone and stares at the bright stars with his brilliant eyes.
Making Connections
1. "He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of this cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quit rage."
a. What are the 'vivid stripes' the poet referring to?
= The poet is referring to the yellow and black stripes on the tiger's body by using the phrase 'vivid stripes'.
b. What are the tiger's actions in the cage? Contrast the movement of the tiger in the cage with those of a tiger in a jungle.
= The caged tiger is stiffly walking with uncontrollable anger within the few steps of the cage he is in. His walking is silent as his paws are made of soft muscles like velvets.
On the other hand, if the tiger was in the jungle, he should be hiding and sliding through the long grasses near the water streams where the stout deer pass. He should be growling around the houses at the jungle's edge. He should be roaming around terrorizing the villagers by showing his white teeth and claws.
c. What do you think the poet means by 'quiet rage'?
= Tiger is a fierce animal. He is always angry by his nature and basic instinct. Here he is confined in a cage so he can not show his anger. So he is quiet.
2. "He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle's edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorizing the village!"
a. What is the meaning of the term 'snarling around houses'?
= The meaning of the term 'snarling around houses' is to growl around the houses of the village.
b. According to the poet, why should the tiger be 'terrorizing the village'?
= According to the poet the tiger is a fierce animal. It is his nature to be angry and show rage. If he was in the jungle he had been in his true inclination dominating the jungle and terrorizing all the creatures around.
c. Which verse in the poem contrasts most sharply with this one? List the points of contrast.
= The immediate next stanza, which the fourth stanza of the poem, contrasts most sharply with this one.
The poet shows that the unfortunate tiger is confined in the cage instead of being in the jungle. He is locked in the concrete cell where his strength is helplessly behind the bars. He is merely walking the length of the cage ignoring the visitors.
3. "He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes,
At the brilliant stars."
a. Which was the last voice that the tiger heard? What do you think he should have heard instead?
= The sound of the patrolling cars is the last voice the tiger hears at night.
I think he should have heard the noises of the hedge crickets and the owls and the foxes if he was in the jungle.
b. Why do you think the tiger stared at the stars?
= I think the tiger stared at the stars as he had nothing to do in the cage. He had very little space to walk in the cage. There were nobody around him as the night had deepened. There were only the stars to look at.
c. Why does the poet refer to both the tiger's eyes as well as the stars as 'brilliant'?
= The poet refers to both the tiger's eyes as well as the stars as 'brilliant' as both of them glow bright in the darkness of the night.
4. The poem shifts from the zoo to the jungle and back to the zoo again. Number the stanza. Which stanzas refer to the zoo and which ones refer to the jungle?
= The first, fourth and fifth stanzas refer to the zoo and the second and third stanzas refer to the jungle.
5. According to the poet, in which habitat should the tiger be living? List the descriptive details that the poet gives us of this habitat. How far do you agree with the poet on this point?
= According to the poet, the tiger should be living in the jungle.
The poet says that the tiger should be hiding and sliding through the long grasses near the water streams where the stout deer pass. He should be growling around the houses at the jungle's edge. He should be roaming around terrorizing the villagers by showing his white teeth and claws.
I totally agree with the poet on this point. This is against the laws of nature to put a tiger in a cage. This is harmful for the ecosystem.
About the poet :
Leslie Norris (1921-2006) was born in England. He began to write poetry as a teenager. He joined the Royal Air Force and fought for his country in World War II. After the war, he chose teaching as a profession and became a headmaster first, and then a college lecturer, working in both the UK and the USA. In 1974, he left his job and started writing full time. He won several prestigious awards for his poems and short stories.